Open Up To Me
by kath0410
Summary: Faberry Week Day 7: Nightmares. Quinn and Rachel have been dating for two months, just a week after Quinn's full recovery from her accident. Rachel has been having nightmares throughout the course of their relationship and won't tell Quinn about it. And when she finally does, the nightmares stop.


**A/N: So here it is, the last prompt. I just want to thank all of you guys who favorited and left a review for my previous fics, I really appreciate it! Also, thanks to those of you who followed and favorited me as an author. I hope to have your continued support in the future! So, without any further ado, I present to you the last prompt!**

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Quinn jolted awake when she heard an ear-piercing scream coming from the person lying down beside her. She shot up immediately and quickly hovered above the brunette below her who was continually screaming her name with eyes still closed.

"NO! QUINN!" Rachel continued to scream as she thrashed and writhed underneath the blonde.

"Rach! Wake up!" Quinn commanded, her voice still sluggish with sleep.

After a few more shakes and light slapping, Quinn finally managed to wake Rachel up. She could see the fear and anguish in those tired brown eyes, and she felt her heart clench at the sight. The nightmares had been going on and off ever since they started dating two months ago, just a week after Quinn's full recovery from the accident when she was on her way to Finn and Rachel's wedding.

A wedding she had managed to stop, but nearly at the cost of her own life.

"Quinn," Rachel whimpered, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"I'm here, okay? It's just a nightmare." Quinn said reassuringly as she held Rachel in her arms.

She felt Rachel nod against her chest, though she could feel hot tears spilling from the brunette's eyes and onto the sweatshirt she wore. She rocked the brunette gently in her arms, whispering small reassurances as she did so.

They never talk about Rachel's nightmares. Sometimes Quinn would ask Rachel about them, but the brunette would effectively shut down and keep her mouth shut. And she knew better than to push, knowing that it would take time before Rachel would open up to her about the nightmares.

It should have been her that was having those nightmares, and not Rachel. She was the one who went through the accident, but somehow, she only had the nightmares for a few days before they finally went away. But Rachel had been living with them for two months now, and she knew it was because she was still feeling guilty about her accident, despite Quinn telling her otherwise time and time again.

"I'm sorry..." Rachel croaked as she looked up at Quinn with a broken expression on her face.

"Don't be..." Quinn murmured, her voice cracking slightly as she bent down to plant a soft kiss on Rachel's forehead.

"I don't want- I can't lose you," Rachel managed in between strangled sobs.

"You're not," Quinn promised. "You're not going to lose me. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

She felt Rachel nod again, but she knew that they both weren't going to get any sleep tonight. Once Rachel started screaming in the middle of the night, there was no way they were able to fall asleep again. Rachel was too scared to sink back into sleep, and Quinn didn't want to leave her awake all alone while she slept.

She wanted to help Rachel, but she couldn't do anything except jerk her awake from her nightmares and hold her close after she woke up. She wanted to do so much more, like how Rachel helped her with every step of her recovery. She wanted to be the one having the nightmares, just so that Rachel wouldn't have to experience the terror nearly every single night.

She was glad that Rachel's room was soundproofed, because she was sure that the brunette's dads would come running as soon as they heard her screaming into the dead of the night.

She really didn't know when the nightmares started, either. Whether it was right after the accident or after they started dating, Quinn never knew. But she did see Rachel having heavy eye bags and a worn-out expression during several occasions a week after she had gotten discharged from the hospital, when she had gotten approval from the doctors that she could go back to school. At first, she thought that it might be that Rachel was overexerting herself for Nationals like she always did before every competition, but now, she wasn't so sure either because Rachel never wanted to talk to her about her nightmares.

She just wished that Rachel would open up to her, because it was hard on her, too. She hated seeing the fear in Rachel's eyes whenever she finally woke up, knowing that she was the cause of that fear. She blamed herself for the nightmares that Rachel continued to have. If she'd been more careful, Rachel wouldn't have to go through this.

"C'mere," Quinn murmured into Rachel's ear as she lay back down. The brunette bit her lip and lied down, resting her head against the blonde's chest.

She pressed a kiss against the top of Rachel's head and ran her hand through chestnut locks in a soothing manner. The room was silent except for the sound of breathing from the two girls.

"I love you..." Rachel said in a small voice.

"I love you, too," Quinn answered as she laced their fingers together.

Rachel sighed tiredly as Quinn absentmindedly scratched at the brunette's stomach with her free hand. They just lay together in silence until Rachel's alarm clock started to beep. Quinn shut it down and slid back under the covers as she watched Rachel silently.

The brunette made no signs of wanting to move, so Quinn gently untangled their fingers and hovered above her. She gently traced her fingers around the dark circles around Rachel's eyes, down to her nose, lips, and jaw. She felt the brunette shudder slightly under her touch, and she cupped her face and bent down to kiss her.

She felt Rachel sigh against her lips as she parted her mouth, allowing the brunette's tongue to slip inside of it. They kissed slowly and tenderly, with Quinn occasionally caressing Rachel's tongue with hers. She sucked and flicked her tongue around Rachel's mouth, swallowing the small moans that the brunette made.

"Quinn..." Rachel moaned as Quinn nipped and sucked at her jaw, leaving small marks.

Quinn dragged her lips south towards Rachel's neck and placed hot and open-mouthed kisses all over it. Underneath her, the brunette whimpered and moaned as she licked and sucked at the exposed skin, their bodies starting to heat up.

They've done this a few times before. The moment they woke up or waited for Rachel's alarm to start beeping whenever the nightmares occurred, they would kiss softly and slowly and make love sometimes. Quinn loved making love to Rachel. She loved the way Rachel would shiver under her touch or the way her body would react accordingly with every stroke of her tongue. And she especially loved watching Rachel come undone; moans and silent screams echoing throughout the room as they both fell apart.

She moved up and claimed Rachel's lips one more time with her, relishing in the sounds of their hearts beating together and the rhythmic rise and fall of their chests as they breathed. Pulling apart, Quinn rested her forehead against Rachel's and closed her eyes. She loved the close proximity between them as their breaths mingled, their legs intertwined and the way she could look deeply into Rachel's beautiful chocolate brown orbs.

"Are you hungry?" Quinn asked as she traced Rachel's cheekbones with her fingers.

"A little," Rachel said softly.

"Okay. I'll cook some pancakes for you," Quinn said as she got off from the bed. She tied her hair in a ponytail and headed downstairs to the kitchen, where Rachel's dads were having a quiet breakfast. At the sound of her footsteps, the two men looked up from their plates and locked gazes with Quinn.

"How's Rachel?" Leroy asked worriedly.

Quinn sighed and shook her head tiredly. "She had another nightmare last night."

"She still won't talk to you about them?" Hiram asked softly.

"No," Quinn answered as she swallowed a lump in her throat. She suddenly felt guilty. After all, her accident was the cause of Rachel's nightmares.

As if though reading her mind, Hiram stood up and placed his hands on Quinn's shoulders. The former cheerleader bit her lip and looked up, her face marred with guilt and weariness.

"It's not your fault, Quinn," Hiram said firmly as he looked straight into Quinn's eyes. "You didn't know that you would have this accident and that Rachel would be having nightmares. She loves you, and we certainly don't blame you for anything."

"I know," Quinn sighed as she looked down. "But I still can't help from blaming myself."

"Don't be. It will take time, but Rachel will open up to you soon. She's just scared of the nightmares coming true," Hiram said.

"Thank you, Hiram," Quinn said with a small smile.

Hiram nodded and released his hold on Quinn. Leroy stood up and put the dirty dishes in the sink as Hiram grabbed his briefcase.

"We'll be going now," Hiram said to Quinn. "Just call us if you need anything, alright?"

Quinn nodded and the two men waved their goodbyes and left the house. She grabbed the ingredients she needed from the pantry and started to make the pancakes. A few minutes later, she heard a pair of footsteps descending down the stairs. She looked back and saw Rachel sitting by the table, a small smile on her lips.

"I'll be done soon, okay?" Quinn said as with a smile as she turned her attention back to the frying pan.

"Okay," she heard Rachel say.

She flipped the pancakes and after a few more moments, she finished cooking. She grabbed a plate from the cupboard and dumped the pancakes in it. She turned off the stove then placed the plate in front of Rachel. The brunette smiled gratefully and stabbed one with her fork and dropped it onto her plate. Quinn did the same thing and they ate in silence until they finished everything. Quinn took the dishes and washed them, then put them to the side to dry.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Quinn asked as Rachel stood up.

"Funny Girl?" Rachel suggested with a small smile. Quinn chuckled and nodded.

They went to the living room and Rachel turned on the TV and popped the CD into the DVD player. She then settled down on the couch with Quinn and rested her head against the blonde's lap. Quinn turned her attention towards the screen, until she felt Rachel shift in her lap. She looked down and saw that instead of watching the TV, Rachel was watching her with a thoughtful expression.

"Yeah, baby?" Quinn asked as she stroked Rachel's hair.

"Can you- can you take off your shirt?" Rachel asked, her voice cracking slightly.

Quinn bit her lip and hesitated. She had a lot of scars all over her abdomen due to the crash and it puzzled her as to why Rachel would want her to take off her shirt in broad daylight because whenever they made love, the brunette always asked her to have a top on, saying that she couldn't bear to see them.

"Are you sure?" Quinn asked softly as Rachel gripped the hem of her sweatshirt. The brunette bit her lip and nodded softly. Quinn swallowed thickly as she took Rachel's hands and allowed her to push off the shirt. She pulled it off her head and folded it before setting it aside. She watched as Rachel's eyes land on her torso, tears brimming under her eyelids.

"Rachel..." Quinn whispered, but the brunette didn't seem to hear her. She watched as Rachel's fingers traced across all her scars as though in a trance, and decided to stay silent.

"I thought I was going to lose you back then," Rachel whispered in a pained voice. "I couldn't stop thinking about you while you were in the emergency room, and even after that. I was so scared, and I don't think I've ever been more scared in my entire life."

"Rach, we don't have to talk about this," Quinn said as she gently moved the brunette's hands away from her torso. She gazed into Rachel's scared eyes and bent down to kiss her. She could feel the salty tears against her own face and Rachel's soft, small hands planted on her stomach.

"I have to. I want to," Rachel murmured brokenly against her lips. "I just feel so scared all the time, especially with my nightmares. Even though I know that you're beside me, I still can't help but feel scared of the thought that this might all just be a dream."

Quinn swallowed thickly and brought Rachel up to straddle her lap. The brunette rested their foreheads together and she could feel her warm breath against her lips. She brought her hand to either side of Rachel's lips and kissed her tenderly before pulling apart.

"In my nightmares, they're all in the same setting," Rachel started and Quinn looked into her eyes. She watched as Rachel took a deep breath and silently waited for her to continue. "I'm at the side of the road, and I see- I see you driving your car and your attention towards your phone. I want to run, I want to scream your name but I can't move. No sounds would come out of my mouth. I'm stuck there, watching until this huge truck comes and crashes into you. And I can't- God, I just watched you there to die, Quinn!"

Quinn was at a loss for words as Rachel screamed out the last part and burst into tears. The brunette sobbed in anguish and Quinn pulled her into her chest, feeling the hot tears against her skin. She finally understood the reason why Rachel didn't want to tell her about her nightmares. Rachel must have hated feeling helpless while she was in the hospital and that helplessness was dragged into her nightmares.

She said nothing and allowed Rachel to sob freely into her chest. The brunette whimpered as she pressed her lips against the top of her head and tightly wrapped her arms around her waist. Eventually, the sobs subsided and were reduced to small whimpers as Quinn stroked Rachel's hair.

"I love you so much that I can't bear the thought of losing you," Rachel choked out as she raised her head. Quinn swallowed a thick lump in her throat and captured the brunette's lips in a searing kiss. Rachel moaned as Quinn slipped her hands inside her shirt and ran her hands across her back.

"You're not going to lose me, I promise," Quinn promised as she tore away from Rachel's lips. "I'm here. And I'll do whatever it takes so that you won't have to go through that again, okay?"

Rachel nodded and Quinn kissed her softly before grabbing the remote to turn off the TV. She watched as Rachel yawned and smiled as she was met with droopy eyelids.

"You want to go back to sleep?" Quinn asked softly.

Rachel nodded again and Quinn helped her off her lap. She took her sweatshirt and pulled it back on before standing up and scooped the brunette in her arms. She smiled as Rachel curled up against her chest and carefully went up the stairs and into the brunette's bedroom. She pushed the door close with her foot and walked towards the bed and gently placed the brunette on it.

She slipped underneath the covers beside Rachel and held the tiny diva in her arms, watching as her eyelids fluttered shut. She wrapped her arms around the brunette and tangled their legs together, inhaling her soft strawberry scent before allowing herself to fall back into sleep.

They slept well into the night, and this time, Rachel didn't scream.


End file.
